1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand held cutting implements, and more particularly, to an actuatable dual-bladed knife for making a circular transverse cut interiorly of a piece of fruit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to provided various apparatuses for cutting pieces of fruit into a plurality of individual, similarly shaped segments. Typical devices of this kind are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,830,151; 4,095,518; and 5,199,350.
Other devices are known which are adapted to peel or remove the rind or skin from a piece of fruit. Typical forms of apparatus of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,050; 3,913,226; 3,961,418; and 4,738,195.
It has long been desired to provide a cutting implement which is capable of making a transverse cut inside a piece of fruit so that when the fruit is subsequently cut into plurality of segments, a transverse cut medially of the inside edge of the fruit segments already is present thus permitting the fruit segment to be mounted easily on the lip of a glass or other beverage container. Insofar as is known to applicant, such transverse cuts must be made manually in each piece with a straight knife after a fruit is segmented. Not only is the manual method a time consuming process, but because it requires repetitive handling of a sharp knife blade thereby the possibility of injuries is increased. This is especially so in restaurant or cocktail lounge facilities where a large volume of segmented fruit pieces having transverse cuts is required on a daily basis. Ideally, an effective cutting implement for making a transverse cut interiorly of a piece of fruit will have the following advantages: (1) it will be simple in construction, having relatively few parts, and thereby be low in cost; (2) it will be able to easily penetrate a piece of fruit without unduly removing fruit material so that the fruit piece may subsequently be segmented; (3) it will have a rapid actuation permitting the interior transverse cut to be made rapidly and safely; (4) it will be easily cleaned and maintained, and (5) it will be durable, yet light in weight.
A cutting implement meeting the foregoing desideratum is met by the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.